WISE Government Act

The WISE Government Act would establish new transparency and access requirements for how federal agencies manage their library subscriptions and resources. Specifically, the bill would prohibit agencies from entering into contracts for journal subscriptions that keep the cost of those subscriptions secret from other agencies or the Library of Congress. This aims to increase transparency in government spending on scientific and academic materials.

The bill would also require each agency library to make its policies and procedures for employee access to library subscriptions clearly available to all employees through the agency's internal computer network. Additionally, the General Services Administration would be required to submit a report to Congress and agency libraries on ways to increase access to scientific journals and publications across the federal government.

If enacted, these changes could help federal employees more easily access scientific information needed for their work, reduce duplicative subscription costs across agencies, and provide Congress with better visibility into how much the government spends on journal access. The bill is currently in the committee review stage and has not yet been voted on by the full House.